Whispered Secrets
by sleepy kamikins
Summary: When Chloe is adopted by two people, there is a new home, and new life waiting for her. A clean slate. ...But when secrets begin to unfold and shadows creep up the walls, when she makes unlikely friends, and finds comfort in the darkness... nothing will ever be the same. What does it all mean and what is Chloe's destiny? Only time can tell.
1. Chapter 1

**Tori: Kkkkkaaaaaammmi! yayayayayyaayayayay**

**Me: TTTTTOOOORRRRRI. BASTARD HOUND FROM HELL ARE FOLLOWING ME!**

**Tori: Thats...nice...Kami..**

**Me: *saucy wink* Mhmmm.**

**Tori: So how are you?**

**Me: No...how are YOU?**

**Tori: Well, not very good, i got some flamer on a story i wrote, also i've been a bit tired lately, I had this terrible nightma-**

**Me: NO. THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE. *flies away on jetpack***

I stared at my florescent purple shoes, moving my feet side to side and seeing how many ways I could make the light glint off of them. The sun that would rise any moment now was just starting to spread its way over the landscape, soon its shining face would peek out over the horizon sending tendrils of orange, pink, white, yellow, and purple and all the shades in between scorching across my view.

The car's seats were all a dull patterned gray, my suitcases and bags all cramming together inside the small car and pushing me against the door. I hugged my pale knees to my chest and tried to angle my body towards the air conditioning, in attempts to fend off the already sweltering heat. The sun wasn't even all the way up, and I could feel the sweat coat my forehead. It was only springtime, but the air was always so hot and sticky with humidity it was hard to sleep. Summer would be unbearable without some means of keeping cool.

My jean shorts and striped tank top made me almost look like a boy. Almost. Besides the fact that i was wearing shiny purple shoes with lacy socks, and if I didn't speak, maybe i could try to make friends.

I felt the cold air blast at my face immediately and let out a happy sigh. It was had to be happy these days, but the little things always seemed to work. Things were so different now.

The car slowed slightly.

I tried not to whimper and we hit a bump in the dirt road, I should have seen that one coming. I internally scolded myself for that.

I looked up at the driver, a middle aged woman with wide thin lips, painted with red, and too much eyeliner. Her eyelids were covered in an obnoxious blue, and her black business suit was tailored to make her look more professorial then she probably was. She too was sweating, and her shoulders were tensed awkwardly. Her long arched nails were also painted in red. I shuddered. They reminded me of blood.

I let out a forced breath and looked out the window. Vines and trees and shrubs were everywhere and huge seas of flowers and fruit trees seemed to almost cover everything a few miles away. Where there weren't large plants sprouting up out of the earth there were small ones. As a graceful transition between trees, there was a deep green grass, and clover. Further than that were more of the same steep rolling mountains, and riverbeds and valleys.

Oaks,willows eucalyptus and pine trees whipped by me, their trunks ending only feet away from where the dirt road began on my right.

The dawn was just beginning to break over a mountain, sending shards of light bursting through my window, and i was terrified. Not of the sun itself, but of what it meant.

We had been driving all night, and some of yesterday. It was getting closer. Wherever i was going, the place and people i might spend the rest of my life with, were getting closer. What if once they met me the family didn't like me? Well, i knew they wouldn't. I was too strange. I saw things that weren't there. I was crazy. No nice people would want to adopt a crazy girl.

I tried to focus on the view again, i knew it was beautiful, but i just couldn't do it. I was too scared, too nervous for what the day had for me.

"A-are we get...getting close?", I choked out.

I stared at her face in the mirror, nothing. Blank and expressionless.

"What was that, hun?", She yelled, her southern accent was thick and hard to swallow. I winced. And way too loud.

I tried to speak up louder.

"W-when. Will. We. Get. Th-th-there?" I could feel me tongue fumbling around the last word, making it impossible to form.

Her thin red lips stretched into what i hoped was a smile.

"Sometime in this here hour, Chloe!" She bellowed, grinning.

Waves of terror washed over me, not soothed by the warm orange glow of morning. In less than an hour I'd meet the people who would become my family.

"Wha-what are their names?"

The woman smiled, or grimaced, again.

"Well, sugarplum, you just gotta ask 'em yourself." she drawled, a bit quieter this time, but still enough to trigger a headache.

I leaned against a random suitcase, and held my hand to the side of my head, angling it just right so that the sun didn't go into my eyes.

This hour would be torture. I closed my eyes against it all.

**AN: Hello everyone! Happy thanksgiving! I thought i'd post this first chappy today! I plan on making the story pretty long, but honestly i have no idea what i'll do with it. But trust me, whatever it is, it'll be good! Lol! Or at least i'll try my best.**

**:3**

**Kamikins.. THE MAGNIFICENT. MAUAHAHAHHA.**

***bows to scared looking audience***


	2. Chapter 2

**Tori: kkkkaaaaammmmi hey! are you ok? i hvnt heard frm u in a while.**

**Me: silence. do not disturb.**

**Tori: I met sme1! I met a guy! he's rly sweet and nice and he wears glasses and he's taller than me-**

**Me: Does he have a hilariously disturbing accent?**

**Tori: Ya! And he's older than meh by leik 1 month and-**

**Me: Just run. Don't ask. Just. Run. Dude**

**Tori: But-**

**Me najfdvkljfbgketwh. NO BUTS. JUST. RUN.**

**Tori: But I-**

**Me: Thats it. #bitchswerve**

* * *

_My feet raced, blurring as they hurried forward, aching and numb from cold. The riverbank had an eerie chill and not even the sound of rushing water could be heard. Dead silence._

_ Tendrils of steam arched and curled over the nearly still river, their fingers twirling towards the moonlit forest around me, and back towards the stars. _

_My breath wheezed with clouds emerging from my mouth , the biting cold drying my throat. I stumbled, forcing myself to continue._

_Bushes rustled behind me. I paused, trembling with fear. Someone, no, something was behind me. The hairs raised on my arms and my teeth chattered. _

_Again, now a twig snapping, only meters away. I tried to will myself to continue running, but I couldn't. Motionless I stood as my breath hitched and my eyes stung. Hysteria bubbled up inside my throat, begging to be released in a high shrill scream. I bit my lip, blinking the tears from my eyes._

_This was it. This was the end. _

_My eyes widened as something exhaled, inches away from my ear, as though to whisper._

_Shaking violently the scream ripped itself from my throat-_

I awoke with a start.

Heart racing, I looked up and immediately locked eyes with a pair of brown ones surrounded by electric blue powder.

I blinked, tired.

The car smelled of tobacco and cheap perfume, both of their scents mixing and rolling in clouds.

Slowly I sat up from a floral patterned suitcase , letting out a groggy groan as I felt my muscles lock.

Sunlight flooded in through the window, the golden rays shining into my eyes. Wincing i brought my hand over my eyes.

I noticed it wasn't cold like in my dream. It was hot.

Too hot. I winced as i felt the sweltering heat. It had gone up a few degrees in the time i was asleep. It was a humid and sticky kind of heat. The one where you knew rain was coming.

I glanced back to where the person had been, but they had turned around already.

"Y'all awake?", she asked me, her voice still awkwardly loud as though we both weren't alone in the small car. Her eyes trained on me from the rear-view-mirror, looking serious.

I nodded, hoping I didn't say anything or do anything odd or something that would be considered strange in my sleep, or cry or scream.

I shifted, trying to get more comfortable in the seat. It didn't help, as i was already in an uncomfortable zone in my thoughts and mind.

Sniffing back a sneeze I looked at the suitcase i had been using as a pillow. Small in size, it looked so dainty covered in its light pale blue wild flowers and pink rosebuds. It was speckled with cherry blossoms and forget-me-nots. There wasn't a specific pattern that repeated itself every few inches, or was the same on both sides. The flowers all looked to be put in strategic places, giving off a sense of calmness and tranquility. Ferns and baby's-breath could be seen in the background. The intricate design on the bag was so realistic looking, it was almost as though I could reach out and touch the petals and feel their softness glide across my fingertips.

I looked out the window, the sun was noticeably higher in the sky as it peeked over pine trees, their silhouettes black and lace-like against the sun's light .

The scenery had changed as well, surrounding me was no longer fields or occasional trees. It was a dense forest, with the trees old and tall, their limbs and branches reaching towards the sky with graceful arches. Their foliage sent shadows onto the small dirt road on which we drove.

I gulped, my memory returning as to why I was in the car.

"H-how long was I asleep?" I asked

The woman clicked her tongue a few times and brightly painted lips pursing. Finally with a last tongue click, and a hum of thought she answered me.

"Couldn't have been more than twenty minutes or so." She said thoughtfully. Thankfully she was less loud now. I noticed her accent had become a bit less transparent.

I saw her reflection smile slightly in the mirror.

"You nervous, Hun?" She said sympathetically, taking one long drag for her cigarette.

Again, I nodded.

She grinned. "Don't be, it'll be fine. They'll love ya."

I looked down, not believing her.

"Yeah." i said, nodding giving her a smile. I held back telling her the truth and saying that I seriously doubted that anyone really wanted me. I knew that the other kids always looked so happy when they got adopted, and acted proud and self-important when they were chosen as though they won a prize.

She raised one eyebrow, not saying anything; but I knew she saw through my act.

I struggled with myself, wanting to ask her to help me and tell me what to do, or how to act with couple that was adopting me. I needed someone to tell me that it was going to be alright and mean it.

"C-can you s-stop the car?" I blurted out, making my decision.

" Feelin' like you're gonna be sick?" She asked sounding worried.

Lying, I said that I did, knowing she wouldn't stop unless she thought I would vomit all over her car.

The car screeched to a halt and she quickly stepped out of her door, heels clicking against the road and swung my car door open.

"Th-thanks."

I peeked my head out and stretching my legs, I hopped onto the dirt road.

I took a step, muscles in my legs and back protesting. My tailbone ached from sitting so long.

The scent of eucalyptus, mint and pine hung over the road like a thick cloud of fog. Cedar and redwood trees dotted the area.

The besides the road there was a short but condensed stretch of grass and clover. Flowers were sprinkled onto the grass, dew fresh on their petals and leaves dances as the shivered in the warm breeze.

Ferns and vines crawled up the trunks. Jasmine roses and honeysuckle among other flowers wove their way through the trees. Small pathways were visible through all the plants and an off-white gazebo dripping with wisteria and wild roses .

The sweet hum of bees buzzing was soothing for my internal panic.

How should I act in front of these people who were to become my family? I would call them 'mom' and 'dad' someday. What sides of who I am should i show, what kinds even can I show? What would I do that I should keep myself from doing? How could I act natural when I had no idea what natural was or who I was? How could know the truth, and accept things as true and trust anything?

I slowly leaned against the car and ran my fingers through my short pale blonde hair.

I was trapped.

I looked to my right and saw the lady looking in a small hand sized mirror at herself and fussing with her hair and makeup.

She glanced at m to see me staring at her, then back to her own reflection, then did a double take dramatically with her eyebrows raising and eyes wide. She wiped the red off her lips with a pink paper napkin a lit cigarette in the same hand, smacked her lips together once and then applied lipgloss to them and grinned.

I quickly looked away.

"Y'all alright now that you've had a minute?"

'No.' I wanted to say

"Mhmm"

She smiled and gestured with her head to forward on the road and brought the cigarette to her lips. Taking a slow long draw she closed her eyes and let out a long cloud of smoke.

The cigarette was dropped to the road, and with one swift fluid motion she stamped it out, somehow managing to look like she belonged in the barren wilderness wearing a suit-jacket and matching pencil skirt and extreme nails.

Not even a few seconds later e were already back in the car and driving again, and no sooner than that was I panicking internally again.

I quickly began chatting with her, not about anything really, just awkward words strung together and glued into sentences with watery smiles and forced laughs.

We rounded a corner and I was unable to speak.

Woven wrought iron gates were shining in the morning sunlight, vines of the metal curled into blooming roses, and barely opening buds, iron vines twirled up and around the gate. Each half of the gate was fixed into a pale white marble pillar, carved and just as intricate as the gate they held up.

There was no fence, just an open gate.

Weeping willows stood beyond that, and rows of cherry trees and jacarandas were beside the road from then on. Purple flowers blanketed the road ahead of me, their sweet scent permeating my memory of the moment.

I could see hedges and bushes filled with white flowers in the distance, and far away behind the trees was an obscured view of a house.

This was it.

This was going to be home. My home.

* * *

**AN: holy frickin shiznit buckles! Ladies and gentlemen I finished this chapter! I know, it took me so long to do and its been a month. **

**Fangirls, Please don't hurt me and come after me with pitchforks! o.o :**

**AIM SOH SOWWY.**

**My life's been just a little busy and insane (lol.) lately, so i haven't had time, BUT I DO NOW.**

**And yes. I knooooooooow, i'm really sorry, i know you probably wanted meh to get on with the story and have her meet her parents but i just had to fill you guys in on how i imagined the rest of the ride. C'mon can u blame meh?**

***stares into the angry faces of fangirls and one, seemingly calm male face***

**OH GAWD. **

**CHARGE MEN! INTO THE FRAY! **

***runs opposite direction***


	3. Chapter 3

**Tori: KAMI. OH GOD. R U OK?!**

**Me: Huh? Wha-**

**Tori: MY MOM AND I R RLY WORRIED ABOUT U. U CAN COME AND STAY WITH US HERE IF U WANT.**

**Me: I uh-**

**Tori: YES? WHAT? IS DR. TORI NEEDED?**

**Me: Uh... No...So, onto a moar normal topic...**

**Tori: AJHSKVJHERKJVG. UR THE MOST ABNORMAL PERSON I KNOW. STOP ACTING FINE. I KNOW UR NOT.**

**Me: Lol. xDDD**

**Tori: GAH. UR IMPOSSIBLE KAMI.**

**Me: Oh, I don't own DP btw.**

**Tori:...ur copy pasting this conversation and using it as a disclaimer arent you... **

**Me: LOL. YES. You know me so well. ^_^**

* * *

As the woman drove the car through the exquisite gates all I could do was sit there and watch every detail of the moment happen and then fly by me.

My fingertips pressed against the warm glass car windows, and my eyes were wide as the purple flowering trees whizzed by me, the flowers and petals on the floor flying up and gracefully fluttering down as the car roared past.

The trees sent speckled shadows across the cars roof as the morning sunlight caressed my skin.

Exhilarating.

I let out an awed sigh as gardenia bushes came into view. There were so many flowers, more than I had ever seen in one place.

I was giddy with hope and fear, such contradicting feelings that always seemed to go hand-in-hand for me.

My jaw was slack and heartbeat raced, thrumming against my chest.

The woman driving the car seemed just as impressed, in her own way as she took photos of the place with her bedazzled pink heart cell phone.

I closed my eyes, letting myself be lost in the moment that I knew was about to be over.

For the time it took to slowly wind our way through the twisting driveway i was somewhere far away. Time was meaningless, because in the end everyone ran out of it.

This was the end of a stage in my life, and I was just stepping into a new one now.

The car lurched to a stop, and I opened my eyes.

A large rambling gothic-victorian cottage stood there. Each room and window seemed to be added on to a main patio and entryway and glued together like a toddlers craft project. Different sections on the roof had mismatching tiles and styles. On the right a tower soared into the sky like one of the old trees that made up the vast forest.

Some windows and parts of the house seemed ancient and like they were a part of a dark fairy-tale and others seemed so modern and sparkling new.

I blinked.

The house itself had parts that were brick, and parts that were wood and some that were stone. It was at least three floors high as for what i could see, and the tower two more than the highest floor.

Pillars of marble almost exactly like the ones holding up the gate were spaced out around the patio. On the left side of the house there was a wooden trellis overflowing with ivy leading up to several windows on the upper floors.

Nine balloons, one for each year I've been alive hung in a bright pink bunch by the door. Like a bright rubber bouquet.

I blinked twice.

A car door slammed and I noticed that the woman who drove me here was standing outside, her knees slightly buckled and her hair stubbornly sticking out of the million pins, her painfully obviously rented suit jacket hung askew. Her jaw was slack and eyes just as wide as mine. She must have never seen a place like this before either. She looked so stunned, I couldn't help it, I smirked.

She sharply looked to me.

My eyes darted to the house eyebrows flying up, my lips pressed together to keep me from smirking.

_'Real subtle...'_ I sneered at myself.

The woman, walked briskly toward me and swung open my door.

Heat rolled onto my body, the golden hairs on my arms prickling.

I gulped. My throat felt dry, like sandpaper against itself. Sandpaper with nerves.

Sure, this place looked exactly like the perfect place to grow up, but what if the people were mean? What if they didn't like me? What if once they got to know me they hated me?

How could I step out of this car?

How when I just know that this, just like everything else will break my heart in the end?

The more I let myself hope, the more it would hurt in the end, so what was the point if I knew these people I would meet would only end up hurting me?

I bit my tongue, the pain interrupting the direction of my thought. Good.

_'Courage, Chloe.' _I told myself

I slid out of the car, my plastic neon shoes smacking against the multicoloured gravel as I let out a long breath.

The house seemed even taller, now that I was standing in front of it.

I walked toward it, my eyes glued to the house, completely transfixed.

Amazing.

The scent of gardenias exploded into my senses as took another step towards the vine covered mansion.

I heard the woman utter several curses softly as she took my bags out of the car, but ignored it.

I soft trickling of a piano played, and I turned my head, searching for where the sound was coming from. It was playing so softly i could hardly hear it, but I was sure I did. The melody had a strange gentleness about it, the notes off-key and vulnerable sounding, but still sweet to my ears. I still couldn't hear which direction it came from.

I hummed along to the simple tune, trying to find a rhythm or a place where the melody's fluidity stopped, where it ceased to seem perfect to me.

I stopped abruptly.

I blinked, and continued my walk towards the house.

The light blue painted wooden porch steps soundless as I stepped on them. I climbed the four steps, each piece being about half a foot tall, my whole body feeling numb with anticipation.

I heard the woman walk briskly behind me her high heels stomping loudly on the steps behind me, catching up to me within seconds.

Her hand reached over my shoulder, the long bony fingers scooping upwards to press the doorbell without harming her claw-like nails.

A melodic electric chiming sound rung from somewhere inside the house.

I heard a clatter.

What if they were terrible people? What if I liked one parent better? What if one of them hurt me?

The door swung open ,slightly cooler air wafting out and I stumbled backwards, into the driver.

"I-I'm sorry" I squeaked, turning my head trying to see if she was mad at me.

She stretched her arm out again, and I looked to the floor, suppressing the urge to flinch or raise my arms in defense.

"Hello." She said calmly, her accent almost imperceptible..

_'Just dropping off your new kid. Handle with care, it's easily breakable, it already has a few glitches,'_ I continued inside my head.

I saw her arm move up and down several times, shaking the person's hand. This person who would be my parent's hand.

"We are so sorry for the delay." She spoke, a cheesy smile in her voice.

"Oh no, it's no problem at all!" A woman's voice, warm and smooth like sweet tea and cinnamon, gushed enthusiastically.

I slowly raised my eyes.

I first saw her shoes, comfortable looking leather sandals with a bit of a heel, light tan in color. Her feet were milky white, her toes painted a rosy pink with a strip of white on the tips.

_'French nails.'_ My memory supplied for me.

My eyes continued their journey upward.

Just before my eyes found her knee-caps they hit a cornflower blue skirt, ruffled into a gentle and feminine dress.

She wore a stained multicoloured apron, flour dusting the midsection, a see through plastic pocket was weighed down with a cooking timer and a pair of largely rimmed glasses. The thin straps of the apron collided with a scooping neckline of the dress, her shoulders were covered in chiffon puffed sleeves.

Her figure was graceful and willowy, he clothes draping just right around her body.

I looked higher.

Warm medium honey blonde hair was tied back in a loose and low ponytail.

Her mouth shone in a radiant smile, her lips glittering with the barest hint of transparent lip-gloss. Slate gray eyes squinted, bright and happy. She had a small button nose similar to mine. Her eyebrows were the same color as her hair, rounded in perfect arches. She had smooth cheekbones, her complexion flawless without a single freckle or blemish,

Light wrinkles branched out from the sides of her eyes and her mouth, showing her ageing. She looked to be somewhere in her late thirties. She looked to be about 5'8 or so.

Her fingernails were painted exactly like her toes, a polished gold wedding ring on her hand.

Everything about this woman seemed so pale and dainty, it matched the house and hilly rolling mountains and scenic forests and surrounding area.

Her eyes darted toward me, and locked with mine.

Her smile widened, looking inviting and sweet.

She bent down, reaching my own height.

"Hey Chloe." She said, her voice warm and motherly.

"H-hi..." I whispered.

No. This wasn't good. She looked so easy to love. Someday I'd fight with this woman, and watch her die. I couldn't get attached. The only options in life are to love and be hurt, or to never love at all. Every hello ends with a goodbye.

I swallowed a lump in my throat. She still held my gaze, blinking occasionally.

"I'm Lauren," She whispered back to me, her voice kind. "It's really nice to meet you."

I nodded slightly.

"Y-you too." I stammered.

She laughed, her voice morphing into a childlike giggle.

She was absolutely amazing. I felt a huge sense of wanting to be like her one day, warm and inviting to someone who was as secretly broken and scared as I was.

I closed my eyes, nervous.

A weight hit me, followed by a flooding warmth. My eyes snapped open.

She enveloped me in an embrace. Hugging me to her, smiling, welcoming me into her life. Holding my small body to her, gently as though I might break any moment. I could.

She hugged me, giving me one last squeeze and let go.

I blinked, feeling an overwhelming sense of wishing to do that too. Someday hold someone, fearless and knowing how scared that person would be, and hold them close.

She stood up and took my hand, leading me into the house, not embarrassed at all about touching me. She wasn't worried at all, just smiling, leading me into this place.

My mind swam and blurred, not paying attention to anything as her words mixed with the drivers about filling out adoption forms and other legalities that had to be discussed.

My eyes caught a plastic and rubber banner hanging over beams to an entryway, it read 'Welcome Home.' , the letters jammed together, some capitalized and some lower case. Just like the house, the banner was haphazard and at the same time wonderful.

A man, with short dark brown hair walked underneath the sign, his head almost hitting the beam. His eyes were to a book he held in his hands. He had deep lines of wrinkles in his face, and a pair of bushy eyebrows. He looked about 5'11, several inches taller than Lauren, and maybe a decade older than her too. He had very broad shoulders that hunched in a bit when he held the book, gnawing on his lip in concentration.

"Hey, honey?" he said, his eyebrows furrowing in thought.

His voice was deep, with a slight Canadian accent.

"Do you know where I left my glass-"

He stopped short. His eyes widening as he saw me.

We stared at each other for a moment, and then I looked to her quickly.

"Andrew, she's here ." she said, still smiling slightly, a kindness in her eyes when she saw his stunned expression.

He gulped, his feet frozen to where he stood.

"Oh." he breathed.

She laughed, walking towards him in quick steps. Still holding my hand, she pulled me stumbling along with her.

She shook her head, smirking as she pulled his glasses out of her pocket and slipped them on him. His lips quirked upwards for a fraction of a second.

'Ewww.' I thought to myself.

I winced, smiling a little and look away. I always felt so out of place when people were affectionate with each other in front of me.

He coughed, his mouth tensed with effort in trying not to smile.

I blinked, trying not to laugh at how ridiculous they looked.

Lauren adjusted his glasses one last time, and then stepped away.

I shut my eyes, yawning.

"She's so cute!" Lauren whispered to Andrew, her voice squealing as though I were a puppy.

I tried not to say 'She's also nine, and can hear you.'.

"My name's Andrew, er... or Dad. You don't have to call me Dad though." He fumbled with his words.

"Hi." I whispered. "I'm C-chloe.."

There was a pause.

"I- um.." I said, trying to break the silence.

"Yes?" Lauren piped up.

"D-do you want me to g-go get my bags or some-"

"Bags, Right!" Andrew said, running his hand through his cropped hair. "Here, I'll go get them."

"Y-you don't have to!" I said quickly, not wanting to sound like I wanted him to do it for me. I didn't need help. I could do it by myself.

"I can handle it." He grinned.

He quickly walked by me, his strides long and precise. He then disappeared out of sight when he turned a corner.

Lauren watched him for a moment, then looked to me and smiled.

"You tired?"

I was about to reply when the driver began to speak.

"Oh! The poor dear nearly had any rest, she couldn't sleep all night for the drive here, or the day before!" Her voice was shifting back to her real accent and volume.

I wanted to tell her to stop, to stop talking. To just be quiet and stop making me seem like an insane insomniac.

_'You are an insane insomniac.'_ A voice in the back of my mind reminded me.

Lauren didn't seem to notice.

"You must be exhausted Chloe!"

"I-I'm alright."

"How about this?" She whispered in a conspiratorial tone. " You go upstairs to a bedroom and have a nap, and I'll wake you up in a few hours after all the boring papers have been signed, and then we can all get to know each other, and you can decide which bedroom you want. Sound like a good plan to you?"

Not really. I wanted to get to know them now. I wanted to know what school I'd be going to, what friends I could make, what Lauren and Andrew were like.

A yawn stubbornly forced itself out of my mouth, alerting my and the two women to my tiredness.

A wave of exhaustion washed over me, and I sunk into my mind and bones, my body feeling heavier every moment. After hours without real sleep, the need for sleep had finally caught up to me and hit full force.

Lauren laughed again.

_'She laughs a lot...' _

_'Well, maybe she's just a really happy person,' _I thought back

_'Or...maybe, she's just acting. Just like you always act.'_

"C'mon," She said softly, her palm tightening around my hand and pulled me through several long rooms and corridors. I was too tired to pay much attention to any of the building. I was focusing with all my strength not to faint from dizziness, and the heat. All I could feel was the cool dryness of her hand curling around my small clammy one. We climbed up several slights of stairs, and stepped onto a landing.

She opened the door, it whining as the hinges squeaked.

The room was white and lavender, a small white bed was pressed against the side of a wall.

Lauren walked towards it, letting go of my hand. She quickly pulled back the quilt blanket and fluffed up a pillow.

My eyes strained, fighting the tiredness I felt that weighed heavy on my mind, clouding it.

I shuffled towards the bed numbly. I didn't want to sleep, to dream. Not yet. It was too early in the day.

I wanted to see the papers these people had to sign. I wanted to know if the man, Andrew, was always so awkward. Or if Lauren was always so open and extroverted.

She patted the bed next to her in short quick raps.

I sat down with a thud, my head bobbing like a toy.

I tried to speak, to just say something. Maybe 'I really hope you'll be a good mom.' or at least a 'thanks' even though I didn't feel thankful. I didn't want to fall asleep, it would waste hours of my life.

I had just arrived here, I couldn't sleep now.

Lauren kneeled down to the floor and slipped my off shoes for me. She grabbed the bright sparkling purple shoes and put them neatly beside the bed. My bed? Was this going to be my room?

Hadn't she said something about me choosing a bedroom for myself just a minute ago?

I couldn't remember, everything was a blur.

Lauren took hold of some remote control, pressing several buttons. I wondered what she was doing. Immediately cool air blasted onto me from the air conditioner.

I hauled my legs up onto the bed, still desperately trying to fight sleep.

My body slid down onto the mattress, as light as air. I felt Lauren slide the covers over me, and brushed my hair with a soft comb. I tried not to tense up at her touch.

I briefly wondered about the lullaby I had heard just minutes ago, and it came rushing back to me.

The bitter sweetness of it, and the light trickling raindrops of hope that burst through the pain. The swooping crescendo filled with drums beating at odd intervals, and harps bubbling up to tell their own story. The oboes, forlornly awaiting for understanding, and the orchestra of a world intoxicated with compassion and suffering. And the lone violin, that played smoothly and precisely, a beautiful facade hiding the insecurity and sadness beneath. And two clarinets, twining together, each contradicting the other to create a stunning chaos. A flute, out of place swooped inside of the song. Chimes followed suit. They brought a gentle warmth from one clarinet, and half the instruments, while the other was quickly repelled.

As I concentrated on the everlasting melody I began to drift away, into places unknown and foreign.

_I took a deep breath, diving into the depths of the ocean. The salt water stung my eyes. My eyes? This body didn't feel like me. _

_No. This wasn't me. I was sharing someone else's body. Was this real? What was going on?_

_The person took several long glides underneath the water, their body lean and muscular. They closed their eyes as they rose to the surface._

_The person sputtered as they broke through the water, their voice deep. _

_A boy._

_Wait- I was in a boy's body? Oh god. Did he know I was in here? Why was I in a boys half naked body? Oh god. Oh god._

_Wait, was I really? This could also just be a dream. _

_He opened his eyes, and colors blurred together, the shapes of waves visible, but details were distorted. _

_ I panicked. What was going on? _

_He licked his lips, sharply inhaling._

_'Wait. No no no no no! Don't dive under again! Gah!"_

_He dove under again, just before another wave rolled over him. _

_'Yup...' I thought, with a roll of my eyes. 'He dove under again.'_

_How old was this person? _

_He rose up. _

_A girl laughed behind him, peals of laughter bubbling up. Her voice was obviously from a teenager, the way her laugh was slightly deep for a girl, but had high pitched hiccups._

_Her voice seemed familiar to me, but I didn't know where from._

_Warm flooded through him, affection of some kind for this girl and he smiled._

_From the corner of his eye he looked at her, her figure blurring into the ocean. She was curvy, with a petite waist coming in to form an almost perfect houglass. She had rounded arms, with small hands, a large poof of dark curls swirling around her._

_I tried to see his face, to know what he looked like, or a closer look of what the girl looked like. Curiosity burned, begging me to find out._

_I tried jumping out of his body, into the girl's. Maybe she at least had better eyesight._

_A wall. A wall stood between her and I. What was this? This had never happened before._

_I felt her eyes bore into him. No, wait. Not him. Not the boy, who could feel her eyes on him, but through him. She was looking at me. _

_I felt myself be picked up from his body just as easily as though I was just a mere leaf or piece of grass; not a soul rooted in all of his nerves and submerged in his being._

_The girl flung me, far away. I screamed, the air, the atoms, the particles, the universe moving past me. My scream was silent. nobody heard it, it was lost in the rushing wind-_

People were speaking, their words unclear.

A male voice, I recognised it to be Andrew.

Then the sound of wheels squealing. Zippers hummed.

A large calloused hand hesitantly patted my head.

"We should let her sleep a while longer." came a gentle voice. Lauren.

He mumbled something back, and then their voiced blurred.

I drifted asleep once again, a dreamless, dark sleep, the soft whispered melody reverberating in my ears.

* * *

**AN:**

**HELLLLLLO! I HOPE EVERYONE HAD A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS! I personally got a royally painful headache around midnight, but hats just meh. Also I hope everybody has a rly happy new year! (I feel cheated. I mean, I thought the world was ending in 2012! I was looking forward to dat shettt!)**

**Did I mention that was nine pages long? Now no saying it wasn't good enough alicelover520! I have 31 pages already written for future moments! **

**Born2danceforeve: "Nope! Bwahah!No cookie for you! You got it wrong! Naw, you get a cookie for your guess. I'm not that cruel. Did i mention you were adorable? Cuz u r. I'd totally hit dat." *gives chu cookeh* *wink***

**And last but not least, Captain-Logix. SIR, I WILL TAKE OFFENSE TO THAT! I MADE IT AS CLEAR AS I COULD AND- Aw. Alright. I guess I can't stay mad at you for more than 3 seconds at a time. What a shame. I'll try to be more clear next time. :) Constructive critisicm always appreaciated**


	4. Chapter 4

**Tori: OMIGOSH. HI KAMI. R U OK? **

**Me: Um..Fine, actually.**

**Tori: I DON'T BELIEVE YOU.**

**Me: Didn't I just have this convo?**

**Tori: What? You were talking to some1 about trust? You never do that.**

**Me: What?**

**Tori: What?**

**Me: What? *blinks and smiles***

**Tori: WHAT. You didnt. You found a loophole didn't you. **

**Me: What?**

**Tori: KAMI.**

**Me: Mhm? :3**

**Tori: KAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMI BE SERIOUS**

**Me: Why so serious? ._.**

**Tori: ...Kami. Really.**

**Me: I DO NOT OWN LE DARKEST POWERSSSS.**

**Tori: The dream again?**

**Me: ._. I'm going this way now.**

**Me: Bye-bye. ^_^**

**Tori: FUUUU-KAMI!**

**Me: Tee~heeeee**

_**Kamikins has logged out**_

* * *

"Chloe," A female voice called gently.

No, she must have been pretending to be gentle. She was probably just up to another one of her tricks

The bed felt different.. I buried my face into the pillow, wanting to stay asleep.

I knew it couldn't last though. Wait, since when did I have a pillow?

I shut my eyes to be as closed as I could, waiting for the ice water, or the punch. Maybe someone gave me one of her pillows. If they did she'd be even more upset with me.

Something touched my arm, and I jumped. What was it? Was it a dead snake again, or worms? Or a mouse trap? Was it a firecracker she was about to set off? Was it frozen spoons?

Wait... what was that smell? It smelled good.

Really good.

I sniffed, drawing in a long deep breath. Something was baking, or done baking. I knew she was good at baking. She probably wouldn't let me have any of what she made, she never did. Maybe it was for her friends visiting. I hope they liked it, maybe I might be able to ask for one in front of people, maybe she won't hit me in front of them. She always was in a better mood after baking. Maybe she wasn't in the dark side of her personality.

Something cool tickled my nose.

My eyes flew open, expecting to meet a pair of angry eyes, maybe inches away from my face.

Nothing.

What? What was this? Where was the ice water? Or dead animals?

I looked to my right. A woman stood beside the bed I was laying in with a slight smile.

It all came back to me. The two day drive, the mountains and valleys, the forests beside the dirt road, and the fact that I was at the new house. I had only just arrived before they had me rest. That's why this bed felt more comfortable. It also smelled better here.

This was Lauren. This was a new place.

I sat up with a groan, my blonde curls had become a mass of frizz hovering around my head.

I blinked sleepily, remembering the dream I had.

Who were those people in my dream? Was that real? Would I meet those people I saw at the beach?

The room was bright, the sun spilling into the room.

I could now see in detail how large it was.

The bare minimum of furniture was being used, a matching lavender carpet was on the floor beside the bed. My shoes were there, a harsher and more neon shade of purple.

"Hey sleepy head," Lauren said, her expression just as sunny as the bedroom.

"G-good morning.." I stuttered.

"Actually, It's just eleven."

"Oh." I said, blinking.

"I-I, uh, I should probably unpack.." I said, hesitantly.

"No need." Lauren said " When you were asleep Andrew brought your bags up."

She gestured with her hand to her right, and I saw a pile of my folded clothes on the floor.

I kicked the covers off of me, and slid my feet to the floor.

The carpet was warm and fluffy against my feet. I ran my feet over it, enjoying the way it brushed through my toes.

I stood up, and felt a wave of dizziness. The room span and wobbled. Determined not to show it I calmly put on my shoes.

I breathed out, suddenly feeling a tightness in my chest.

Life. My life was going away so quickly. Soon, I'd only be a memory. And only people's opinions and the way people perceived my actions would live on. And then those people would die, and their bodies would either be burnt or rot. One day modern technology and the world I knew would be forgotten, dismissed as "the past" when that had not even happened yet. I wrapped my arms around myself, desperate for some kind of comfort for the fear I felt inside, some kind of relief.

"You hungry?" Lauren asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.

_'No. Not really. I'm almost never hungry. I don't know how to feel hunger. I created a mental block there because people will hurt me if I eat because I don't deserve food.' _I wanted to say.

"Yep!" I grinned.

She brought me downstairs to eat, our footsteps clattering against the wooden steps as we raced down.

The smell of warm baked sugar spice cookies filled my nose.

I walked through a hallway, several doors on all sides.

The walls were pained a bright buttery yellow, melting into the black and white tiles of the kitchen.

The counters were metallic, sparkling clean.

The only thing besides the bare minimum of utensils and furniture were a decorative curtain and antique floral plates hanging from the walls.

A white kitchen island stood with a fruit bowl filled with apples and peaches. I could see two pears and several plums mixed in.

I forced myself to slowly, ever so slowly, lower my arms, not wanting to show even that slightest bit of abnormality about myself.

I trotted over to the oven, curious to see whether my guess was right about the cookies' flavour. Would she let me have any? They smelled so good. What reaction would my body have with them? Would I vomit them up, or even be able to partially digest them?

"I-is Andrew a ch-chef?" I asked, curious about the professional kitchen

Through a doorway I saw a large table. It could have easily been used for a large family, or a party. The long dark carven wooden table had intricate carved swirls on the legs, and a smooth glass top over it. Four chairs were on each side of the table, matching the table perfectly with light pearl gray cushions.

At each head of the table stood two chairs, higher than the others with their backs carved. Light came in through a window, illuminating each detail of the regal looking chairs.

"Andrew? Oh no! I am." Lauren said with a wink, "I specialise in pastries. But lunch first, then you can have sweets"

I nodded, trying not to ask if I was allowed to, knowing that most kids felt like food should be given to them and that it was their right.

"C'mon Chloe, I have lunch served this way"

She led me past the kitchen, and through the formal dining room and out a door leading to a small balcony.

A tiny round table, covered in a plain tan cloth sat three plastic chairs.

On top of the table were three plates of spaghetti, a milky pink tomato sauce was poured over the noodles and basil and parsley were sprinkled over the tops artistically. Beside each plate was a small plate of salad; lettuce and caramelised onions with pear slices had chopped pecans over it. Tiny squares of butternut squash were on the sides. Empty glasses were beside the salad bowls, little circular orange balls at the bottom of the glass was mixed with ice. Two forks sat on a napkin, one larger than the other besides each person's glass.

A jug of apple juice was in the center of the table.

One seat was already occupied with the man I had met earlier. His hair was combed back, the sleeves of his suit shirt were rolled up to his elbows. He wore his glasses perched on the top of his nose, now reading a newspaper.

_'They are so...normal.' _

He glanced upwards, as he saw me again.

"Hello." He said with a blink

"Hi." I squeaked.

"Are you feeling, er, rather more... rested?" He fumbled with his words, looking sincerely concerned about my welfare.

"Yes. Thank you, sir." I replied smoothly with a slight bow of my head.

I always did that. I mirrored people's personalities back to them. Why did i do that? Such an idiot. Who am I?

Lauren put her hand on my shoulder, showing me to my chair.

_'They're so...polite.'_

I sat down, my wrinkled clothes shifting as I scooted my chair in closer to the table.

They had me hold their hands, and Lauren said grace.

It was strange, listening to her words of praise to god, an invisible man in the sky. Why couldn't god be a girl? Only a girl could be insane enough to create this world, after all.

Andrew poured juice into my glass and explained to me that the larger fork was for the main course, the smaller ones for the appetizers, and the third type of fork or spoon which was usually the smallest would be used for dessert.

"What are those?" I asked, gesturing to the tiny orange spheres floating in my glass.

Lauren grinned.

"Frozen melon balls."

I blinked, a wave of curiosity sweeping over me.

"H-how did you do that? Put the melon into those little balls?"

"I scoop them out with a melon-baller, it's kind of like an ice-cream scooper, just on a smaller scale." She told me, smiling.

I took the largest fork in my hand and put it to the side of the plate, twirling it as she spoke.

'Did I hit the jackpot family or what?' I thought to myself as I chewed on the bite of pasta.

I closed my eyes, savouring the taste of the food and the moment.

No. wait. That want right of me to think. I didn't deserve these people. They didn't know me, even. Nobody really ever would.

Six Months Later

Math, I hate math. Why do I have to be here at this stupid school anyway? People hate me here. I hate me here.

I gnawed on the pencil in my mouth, my elbows bent in front of me and my chin rested in the palm of my hands. Boring.

"Five times seven is..?" The teacher called.

Numerous answered were called out from the crown of about twenty students, ranging from nine to almost eleven. Some said it was thirty, others forty, a couple guessed for anything ranging in the middle of those two. I heard one girl say "Thirty-two point zero." in an obnoxious tone. I wanted to laugh.

'Seriously? Point zero? Why point zero? It means nothing! It only makes you sound like an idiot, you don't sound special!' I cackled inside my head.

_'Thirty five. Duh.'_ I supplied inside of my mind.

"Does anyone know the answer?" The teacher said loudly.

Several students held their fingers out behind their backs, counting wildly.

Hands shot up.

She ignored the hands that flailed wildly as though their owners were having seizures.

She walked through the rows of desks, scrutinizing every student.

On my notebook I scribbled out the number '35' in messy handwriting, pushing it towards her, hoping she'd see I knew the answer.

As she reached my desk she glanced down, and i slight smile quirked at the end of her lips.

She continued through the aisles. She reached her large desk once again.

"Nobody?" The teacher called, searching out, looking at every single face

"Its thirty five." One boy called out.

Two kids snickered.

I quickly glanced to him.

Eric looked at me and grinned.

As much as I hated the guy, I had to admit he was good at being terrible.

"The answer is thirty-five." She said, her eyes darting to meet his with a scowl as she said the number.

She sighed and glanced at her watch just as the bell rang.

The students burst through the doors, not even seconds later, eager to go home.

I counted all of us remaining in our seats. Four.

"Class dismissed." She muttered.

I turned around. Eric was still staring. Why was he staring at me? Was there something on my face?

He was one of the older students, but he was held back last year because of a 'foul attitude' as the teachers called it.

I stood up from my seat, gathering my notebook and pencils and shoving them in my pack.

I walked out of the class, weaving through desks.

I sighed blissfully as the hallway was empty, everyone else was probably already walking home or on the bus. Not a sound to be heard besides my footsteps.

No- wait.

I jumped as someone snuck up behind me.

"Eric!" I growled.

Why did he always bother me? What was his problem?!

He laughed, taking my backpack. He darted ahead of me, just out of reach. He was several inches taller than me.

"Hey, Chloe." He said, still holding my bag.

"Hi..." I said dully, making a face

I turned around, trotting next to me, but still held my backpack too far away for me to get it.

"Funny seeing you here...with my bag. Over there." I said sarcastically, giving him a mock glare.

He grinned. He loved this game.

"Funny seeing your bag over here, with you... so far away." He replied batting his eyes.

Far away? He had no idea.

I shook my head, grinning. I had no idea what game he was playing, but he looked like a complete idiot.

"Going somewhere?" he smirked.

_'Music. After school, just like I always do.'_

I shrugged. He already knew the answer.

"I'll walk with you."

No. He'll walk behind me, slow me down, and make me want to hurdle my head through a wall and jump out of a four story window.

I hummed an okay.

"So you like music and art, huh?" He said, sounding falsely interested.

"Y-yeah." I mumbled, just wanting this to end.

"I like art too. Did you see what i was drawing earlier?" He said, his voice a little too enthusiastic.

I stumbled, catching myself. Yes. I had, and it was taking all my willpower not to laugh or punch him.

"It take that as a 'yes'." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

It had been a drawing of a mountain made up of naked women.

"I call it..." He said, his voice dropping into one like an announcer " The Tower... Of Naked Ladies."

I rolled my eyes, grinning, and clapped.

He was the class clown, and the most sexual kid. I was the freak. Somehow he was the closest thing I had to a friend. Of course, he still mocked me back in class, but after class he wasn't so bad.

I quickened my steps, still mirroring his personality back to him.

"Hey, now" had said ,"You going without this?"

"I'm just going to music, you can have it if you want." I said with a nonchalant shrug.

"But-" he started

"But what?" I asked, turning to him, smiling at the confused note in his voice.

He stared at me for a moment.

He opened his mouth, looking confused, his eyes wide but then his jaw snapped shut.

He looked annoyed.

"Here, have it. I'll see you later, freak!" He shoved my bag back at me.

He ran quickly down the hall, his hands balled into fists.

I blinked, surprised, but continued on my way.

_'And we're the freak are we?' _A voice laughed inside my head.

_'Yeah, i wonder what's up with him.' _I replied

_'Well, actually you are a freak.'_

_'Thanks.'_

_'You're the one talking to a voice in your head!'_

_'Good point'_

I sighed, opening the door to the music room.

I was the oldest in this group.

The teacher was already here. I had only been to this class once, but the woman seemed comfortable with children sitting around her.

"Hi." I said, walking into the room, dumping my bag onto the floor.

"Hey, Chloe. You're early." She grinned, her copper hair that was knotted into dreadlocks was in a scrunch on the top of her head eccentrically.

I nodded.

Her daughter, Allie, burst through the room, her straight blonde hair falling around her shoulders as her chubby arms crossed over her chest. She whined about something to do with other kids not treating her fairly.

She was a few years younger than me, but I liked her. She was caught up in her own world all the time, usually thinking about vanity.

But she usually meant well, and I think something about her awkward way of trying to get along with everyone made me appreciate who she was.

She didn't go to this school, but she always stayed for the class her mom had just started teaching.

Allie ran up to me.

"Hey Chloe!"

I smiled warmly at her, her mood changing in the blink of an eye.

"Hey."

"You wanna go to my house again tomorrow?" She asked, her eyes wide.

We had become friends over us both being dismissed at worthy to be befriended at the school. She was way too friendly kid that only showed up after school, and I was the one that was here almost every day that always acted too aloof.

"Maybe." I smiled back.

Her mother, Toni, spoke up.

"We can't have you over tomorrow, but we're having a party the day after."

"For what?" I asked

They both stared at me.

"Easter!" Allie laughed.

Oh. When was that again? I never paid any attention to holidays, Lauren and Andrew never really saw a point in celebrating them.

I nodded, as though it made sense.

I checked the date on the whiteboard behind Toni.

'March 29th' It read, scribbled in Allie's surprisingly neat handwriting.

So Easter was the last day of March? Alright.

"So do you want to come, Chloe?" Toni smiled

"Why?" I asked, my voice full of wonder. It's not like I'd ever gone to a party of anyone besides my family before.

"Well because you're one of my best friends! Duh!" Allie laughed.

I felt stunned. What? How could i be someone's friend? I am stupid and ugly and disgusting. They don't know me at all. Worthless. I'm nothing.

"Okay." I said, calmly slipping a mask over my inner thoughts.

The other students flooded in though the class, and then soon we all sat in a circle. I felt far away, like i didn't belong here, with all these people. Out of place. Lauren always said that it was just because I noticed more than everyone else, and that I "had a bigger heart" but it wasn't that at all.

It was as though I wasn't a child. My mind didn't work the way other kids did. I was a freak. I didn't feel as much as other people did.

I saw the subtle ways people looked at each other, or the emotions buried behind people's eyes as they faked laughs, but didn't care much about it.

This wasn't a real music class. Everyone just played xylophones, or hummed, or played the piano messily. Or just sang, their voices pinching at notes, or becoming forced and breathy.

Before i knew it the hour had already past.

An hour of my life. Gone. Just like that.

An hour I won't get back. I bit my lip and tasted the copper-like taste of blood.

I blinked, and realised Toni had gathered all the other children together and had sent them home.

I stood up, my knees cracking painfully.

I walked behind the herd of children, who ran to their moms and older sisters once the after-school music lesson had ended, giggling and without a care. I wasn't like them.

At night they fell asleep easily, and only momentarily worried about monsters under their bed.

The monsters never hid under your bed, they were behind the shadows of the mind

Everyone had a varying degree of darkness they hid, depending on past events. Trauma, either physical, mental, or emotional would almost always be the reason.

Lauren was waiting by the entrance. She smiled when she saw me. She did that from the moment she met me, I guess.

Toni and Lauren started chatting, sometimes about me, other times about the party coming up.

"So will there be anyone else our age?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

"Well, two people. There's a guy around my age, you know him, he's in the class below you. How old are you Chloe?"

"Almost ten." I immediately responded.

"Yeah, the other one's pretty much your same age, maybe a little older."

A little? How little was little?

"Hmm?" I said, my eyebrows furrowing slightly.

"About a month, maybe a month and a half."

Oh. Okay.

I nodded, showing that the information sunk in.

"So which kid that I know will be there?"

There weren't many guys at my school that weren't in my grade that knew me.

The only ones that knew who I was were Beau, Josh, and Joe. I couldn't get over how popular and annoying their names were. Beau's name especially. At recess they tended to group together and play some gun game, or play tag, but when walking past me they liked to throw insults.

"Josh."

_'Joy.'_

I felt like smacking myself. This would be terrible. Josh always teased me and called me names, he knew I was a freak.

"He goes to my church." She continued.

"Chloe," Lauren called "We have to go, sweetheart!"

"Okay, mom!" I shouted back.

Sometimes I called her mom, other times I called her Lauren. I didn't want to embarrass her, especially when these people thought she was my real mom.

I skipped towards her, my backpack thunking against me with each step.

Lauren smiled at me calling her 'Mom' and held one of my hands.

"See you soon, Chloe!" Toni called with a cheery wave.

I waved back, a smile plastered on my face.

_'Pathetic'_

* * *

__**AN:**

**YAAAAAAAAY. I FINISHED ANOTHER CHAPTER. I didn't really know where to end it. **

**And: "NOH! ANDREW IS NOT EXPERIMENTING ON HER JEEZUS. YOU PPL. ._."**

**If anyone can guess what happens next, or any future part of the story I'll give chu a cookie :3**

**Also, if u have any questions, comments, criticism, or anything at all to say to meh just post a review.**

**I don't think the chapters will be as long as this or the last one for awhile. I'm just going through moments in time until they reach their "normal" ages in the story ^_^, but I want all of you to get to know her, and watch her change and shettt. xD**

**Bye-bye for now! **


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Heeey guys! I'm sorry its been so long. I don't really have an excuse besides writers block, busy life, and procrastination. Sowwy.**

**Oh, I wanted to tell you that this story might be changed to M for future chapters for Violence, and Disturbing Content. **

**Honestly I don't recommend reading this if you're fragile, hurt, depressed, etc. **

**That said, if youre fine with reading drama and angst-y stories, I'm going to play the therapist here about the story and say "It Gets Better!".**

**And if any of you are still reading it, or just started reading it now but will continue to despite my strange warnings then you automatically get a cookie from me. ^_^**

**Oh, and obviously, yes, this is AU. But there still might be some powers. Just not the exact same.**

**(Heres your cookie! Catch!)**

**Disclaimer:**

**Me: "I OWN DARKEST POWERS!"**

**Tori: "Woah. Wait. What?! No you don-"**

**Me: "I AM BRUNETTE."**

**Tori: "Jeez. Kam. Why are you speaking in opposites?"**

**Me: "BECAUSE I'M NOT BORED!"**

**Tori: "Well was that last one saying you are bored, or not right now? I can never tell when its with you. Youre kind of werid sometimes Kami."**

**Me: "What? No! Never... In what ways am I weird, Tori-Dearest?"**

**Tori: "We didn't even have this conversation. You're imagining it. I wouldn't say that you're weird. I'd laugh and talk to you about insane things you'd do if we could hang out. And i'd respond with a 'Hehehehehe' at your silliness and grin while you made an ass out of yourself."**

**Me: "ughh. Dammit. Fine. I dont own darkest powers, I dont know my own hair color, I'm really bored, and Tori makes more spelling mistakes than that. Happy now?"**

**Tori: "Syo hppy thnxs Kaaaaam. Wen R U Goin To Do a Disclaimr with your othr frends?"**

**Tori: "Nw yur juhst moking me."**

**Me: "LUV YU TWO!"**

**Tori: "Kami-"**

**Me: "Shuddup. We made the disclaimer too long already."**

**Tori: "Wha- I- No. Just. Whe- NO Kami DON'TTTT-"**

_**Kamikins Has Logged Out**_

* * *

I stood in one of the five bathrooms of the house.

By now I had now familiarized myself with the house. Peaches. Everywhere. Peaches-n'-cream themed. Her favourite fruit for when she makes pies.

Three bathrooms were upstairs, one built-in with each of the main two bedrooms, and one built-in with a guest bedroom. Two were downstairs, not attached to a bedroom.

Lauren had the idea when Andrew and her had first bought the house for every bedroom and bathroom to have a theme. Their bedroom and bathroom was sea-side themed, filled with shells and smooth rocks and sea-glass. There were hanging fixtures of conch shells and starfish. A painting of seagulls was hooked on blue walls. Lauren's favourite blanket had thin white and blue stripes. She had lots of favourites.

'Because it reminds me of a sailor uniform!' She had once told me, when I had asked about it.

The walls of my room were painted a pastel green, two walls lightning into a more pale color than the others, and the ceiling was a creamy white. The theme was of birds and flowers. Paintings of birds hung with laminated photos of purple and white flowers. A four posted white canopy bed was in the middle of the room, fake light yellow wood for flooring. A delicate white carved table was across from my bed, a multicolored marble slab running over its surface. Vintage boxes and pastel ribbons were scattered around my room. I always used quilts, their gentle pattern partnered with the lace hanging over me lulled me to into a sleep. The closet was big. I liked it. I could hide there if I had to. It was 'COMFORTABLE' there. A three pronged dull pink chandelier hung just to the right of the head of my bed, in the exact center of the room.

The spare bedroom's theme had a rustic Asian feeling about it. Wooden floors, with deep cherry black colouring. Rice paper screens, and pale flower blossoms. Light brown roll up curtains made of woven reeds were used to block the bright light of the sun, with a matching futon laid out on the floor, fully made with a thick plush comforter and soft silk sheets and a pillow.

"Chloe! C'mon, Honey! We're leaving soon!"

I pressed my lips together in annoyance. I was on a roll too and then she just had to interrupt my train of thought.

"Okay, Lauren!" I yelled back.

I looked in the bathroom mirror.

Blue green orbs stared back at me. Shadows circled underneath my eyes, making them appear slightly bruised.

Warm freckles dotted themselves across my nose bridge. A rosy pink was spread across my cheeks.

My large reddish lips were twisted into a scowl, light eyebrows knitted together firmly.

Wild golden blonde curls rained down from my head, filled with knots up to my lower back.

"Brush your hair too!" Her voice called from the living room.

I huffed. What was the use of having long hair if it didn't look nice, and didn't feel nice, and when people pulled it whether I brushed it or not and made fun of me. Why should I have waist length hair?

The sound of the car keys falling to the floor brought me back to the moment.

"Shit.. " I heard her say as more things fell

I rolled my eyes.

This was so stupid. Why did I even agree to going to this thing anyways?

My hand grabbed the brush placed next to the sink.

I quickly ran the brush through the tips of my hair, working up towards my scalp until i reached the roots of my hair.

Small blonde wisps fell into my face, near to my nose level.

I sighed.

_'Why do I even bother?'_

With my left hand I turned the knob on the sink faucet and with my right I tossed to brush into a small woven basket that held a bunch of Laurens luffas.

I leaned toward the sink, splashing cool water on my face.

Chills ran down my spine, almost like fingers curling down, tracing.

I sniffed, my nose tickling.

I dabbing my face dry with the peach patterned hand-towel that hung beside me, holding back a sneeze.

"Chloe! Now!"

I darted out of the bathroom, not bothering to close the door.

My legs were dressed in a pair of thin floral sweat pants, small holes in them from constant use. I didn't have a problem with them. The only bad thing is their pink color.

I snatched up my pair of light blue flip flops, nearly dropping one as Lauren called out for me to get in the car again.

My baggy t-shirt rustled as I raced outside, the front door slamming behind me.

I closed my mind, forcing all thoughts and chatter out. Just the immediate goal was important.

My bare feet smacked against the gravel and the stones.

I hopped on one foot, awkwardly trying to slip the sandal on.

I stopped.

Lauren looked at me, her eyebrows quirked and her mouth slightly tight as she stood beside the car. What did that expression mean? Which emotion did it connect to, again?

"I forgot my jacket." I said, forcing strain into my voice.

I had to pretend to show some emotions, or Lauren would feel the bad emotions that made her cry.

If I made Lauren cry then Andrew would also feel bad, and then would get angry and maybe send me to someone to 'talk about it'.

I focused on the lashes on her left eye, a feeling as though i were going to vomit growing. I always felt that when I tried to look at a person.

People were hard to look at. Eyelashes were different. They were easy to look at. They weren't too colourful or bright or harsh, like people's eyes and faces. I couldn't look at everything all at the same time. The colors were too much, and clashed.

She blinked, her eyebrows settling into their normal shape.

"I have it here, honey." she said, opening the car door for me.

I put the other shoe on and sprinted to the car.

"Thanks La-... mom" I mumbled as I hopped in.

She shut the door behind me softly.

I strapped myself in to the car, hearing the seat-belt click.

How did she learn to shut doors so quietly? I always made banging sounds and did things too loudly, or too softly and not enough. Where and when did she find the gray zone? Could I ask her or would she consider it odd?

".. last night?" , Lauren said, her voice muffled.

I blinked, realizing that she must have been talking to me. When I think about things I have the ability of blocking other things out.

Andrew would call it a 'NASTY HABIT' or a 'BAD HABIT'. but i don't see what is nasty or bad about it. Nasty things smell gross. Or taste icky.

What I had was an ability that I put to constant use under what i knew to be the correct circumstances for such an expression of an ability to occur.

It meant if things were all in order and like they always are, i'd always use that ability because repetition is simple and unoriginal.

"Sorry. What?" I rushed out.

She sighed.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" She repeated.

I was silent for a moment.

Last night was a long time ago. When it was 'last night' I had been thinking until it got light out.

That's the strange thing about time. It never stops being the N word. 'Now.'

Everything is always now.

Right now.

What had Lauren asked? It was something to do with last night. Maybe if I had more dreams? Either way the answer would be 'No.' . But if she asked something else than that answer might be rude.

"Can you repeat the question?"

"How did you sleep."

Lauren didn't sound like she was asking a question anymore. Did she think I was evading it or trying not to answer? I wondered why.

She probably meant 'Did you sleep'. The word 'HOW' was useless in this interaction. 'HOW' implies that she is asking me in what way the function of sleep is to be executed in my circumstances, or if the action- in this case sleep- was at all possible.

"No. I did not sleep."

She sighed again.

"No wonder you can't pay any attention. Chloe, didn't you remember about the party today? You should have rested more."

I didn't forget. I just couldn't sleep. All night I felt a strange twisty feeling in my tummy and I didn't know what it was. I had never got that before so I wanted to find out what it was. It had rained last night, the branches of trees knocked against my window and the wind howled and cried. It sounded more like a woman crying than the wind. Lightning lit up the night sky like a display of fireworks on the Fourth-Of-July, blues and pinks and silver tracing their way through the sky in bright burning flashes, and then disappeared as though they were never there. Just energy. I watching from my window, the feeling in the pit of my stomach growing the longer time passed and the more the thunder rumbled.

I stayed up to see how long it would last. In my dictionary that sounds a lot like the word INVESTIGATE. But I still don't understand why that meaning is connected with that word. I don't Get-It. Figuring out things had nothing to do with INVESTING, another word I thought was special. The meaning to INVEST was also completely different from a VEST, which was a jacket without sleeves, its purpose was something I didn't Get either.

The funny feeling was still there. Here. Only now I can feel my heart beating in my chest too.

"Sorry. I forgot." I said.

Conflict would be 'unnecessary'. If she wanted to believe that I had trouble remembering the party then that was okay.

I yawned, sounds blurring for a small moment.

The sounds got loud again, more crisp and jarring.

"We have a twenty minute drive. Try to sleep now so you'll be awake then, okay?"

I mumbled a reply, already unbuckling myself.

I moved the bright salmon pink sweater to the side, its colors making me feel 'OVERWHELMED'.

I brought my knees up towards my chest, and mentally kept myself from sucking on my sleeve.

That was another ability I had. The sleeves on the sweater had holes by the sleeves from me biting it.

I rocked myself to the side, falling onto the car's seat like it was a bed.

I closed my eyes.

* * *

Something was shaking my shoulder.

"We're here." Lauren said loudly, taking her hand away.

Why did that always happen? Why did people have to touch me?

It made my back and shoulders get more tense.

'Oh...' I thought, my eyes snapping open.

"Here? At the party?" I questioned, controlling my voice to have an edge of urgency to indicate excitement. If she believed it made me happy to go to these places maybe she and Andrew would feel happy. Their happiness was imperative to my duty as their 'daughter'. But it was only a duty. A chore.

The 'SOON' of being at the party was about to be a 'NOW'. Like the phrase that Andrew said when he wanted to show me an article in his favorite newspaper, or when i was supposed to do my homework; 'RIGHT NOW'.

I failed to Get-It. What did directions like Left and Right have to do with the constant moment we are always in that is forever moving and changing while staying the absolute same? I also failed to ask him for a clearer definition.

She hummed a yes, sounding quietly pleased.

"We're a bit late, so you're going to want to sit up and go in soon."

"How l-late are we?" I asked, blinking widely to seem more childlike.

And how soon was this 'soon'?

And what does it even mean? Words are only sounds. If i repeat the word 'soon' enough it loses all of its meaning.

"Maybe fifteen minutes. Don't worry. It lasts for hours, and it's just a small group of people. Besides, once the party's over we're staying for a few more hours with another family that's close to them."

People were still people. Nobody was me. And nobody knew me. Not even the person talking to me who chooses to call herself my 'mother' knows me.

I sat up quickly, my head bobbing as waves of dizziness washed over me.

Was Lauren going in with me? How was I going to walk up there all alone?

I gulped.

"I'll be right there, Love. I just need to lock all the doors and go over my makeup. You go on ahead."

I nodded, scooting towards the right door.

"Okay" I said and stepped out.

I shut the door behind me, again, too loud.

Why had she called me 'love' ? Didn't she know that love was a temporary feeling that people only get when they attach themselves to the idea of a person? Once that person shatters their disillusion of themselves by disappointing the other, then love isn't present anymore. It's just a feeling. And a stupid feeling at that. You can't call someone that feeling, it doesn't make sense. Maybe Lauren repeated the word 'love' too much when she got bored. That would explain why she forgot what she was saying.

'This neighbourhood is so...suburban' I thought to myself

Of course i had been here many times before, but now with the puddles on the pavement sparkling in the midday sun, and washed away colors from chalk drawings i could see what a pleasant place this was. These people didn't know hardship. Their definition was different from mine.

The curb side had pine needles, soggy from rain in the night in piles. Because they were pine they didn't smell bad. I wonder if the people at this party also like watching the world go by from their windows. It's like a movie screen. Maybe they won't understand if I ask though.

A house, made of brick stood there. It was small, but looked nice. I know from experience that the rooms were bigger than they looked from the outside. The dining room was much larger than the ones in usual urban homes.

Their lawn was covered sparsely in a medium green grass. To the right, beside one of the windows with its blinds down was a lemon tree. It looked young, its branches frail but it was still covered in fruit that would ripen in mere months.

I hurriedly walked diagonally, beside their red car in the driveway. A gate was opened already, for the guests.

I could hear the sounds of people talking, immersed in conversations.

_'Here goes nothing, or everything, either way it's all the same.' _

I stepped through the gate, making sure my footsteps were loud, and that I didn't walk toe-first. At school I had made the 'Observation' that other people my age were more clumsy with their feet, and they yelled and laughed more. Adults would consider me an 'Abnormality' and Lauren would do that thing she does when she thinks I'm secretly sad again and get mad for me at those people.

The small courtyard, lined with potted plants was filled with three small groups of people talking animatedly.

There were five people that seemed to be in their mid or early twenties that made up one group. Two were boys, three were girls. I guessed that the two boys were brothers because their facial features were similar. They had different hair styles, and different looks in their eyes, and one had shiny piercings covering his ears and face but they still looked related.

One was probably their sister, I gathered. She looked similar to them, having brown eyes and nearly black sleek hair and seemed to have a close bond with both the boys, but slightly more so with the piercings everywhere. The other two girls were probably the boys' girlfriends, or just friends of them or the girl.

They were laughing, and speaking in conspiratorial hushed tones.

They looked happy.

_'I wonder if they really are...'_

After all. Did happiness really exist? And who's to say if it did?

I watched in wonder for a moment as sunlight caught against one boy's eyebrow piercing, sending a shining glint, like a falling star over his face.

I quickly looked away, realising that he probably had noticed me gaping at him and that because I was only looking at the metal going through his face he probably was giving me some facial expression that indicated hostility, and that I just hadn't noticed.

I pressed my lips together. I had always thought piercings looked pretty when they sparkled. But not the gross and fake kind of sparkly. Or gold. I didn't like gold very much. It always seemed to beg for attention. Plain silver jewellery was nice. It wasn't too loud, or hard to look at all at the same time.

One time I had asked Lauren if I could get jewellery like that, but then she got a worried and sad look on hair face, and then didn't say anything for awhile. Later that day she said that it 'Couldn't Be Discussed.'. She says that with a lot of things sometimes.

Another group had a middle-aged man and a woman. The man had a scruffy white beard-thing covering his face, but it wasn't long. More like white layer of fuzz that was about half an inch long with a moustache. His eyebrows were dark and sharply angled towards the end. He wasn't speaking very much in the group. He looked almost exactly like an older version of the boy with the eyebrow piercing.

_'He's probably the father of those two boys.' _I thought to myself.

The woman had short, spiky, bright flaming red hair. Her eyebrows were light and thin, sketched over with some sort of brown eye-pencil. Even though she wasn't young anymore she was still wearing a lot of eyeliner. Lipstick too. Her accented voice was loud as she talked and laughed.

'Maybe she's Australian.'

Toni, Allie's mom was talking to her.

They looked like opposites. One was wearing bright, shiny, and dark unnatural things, while the other was wearing tan colors with plain hair and clothes, with minimal makeup.

But they looked like friends.

_'How do friendships like that work..?'_

People said that 'Opposites Attract' but that's only true i science and non-alive things. It's a lie about humans. People like being around people that make them feel like they are understood, or normal, or accepted. In other words, like them. I understood the basic principle of 'Opposites Attract' where they are so different, their relationship creates a kind of balance. But that balance would crumble eventually, of course. One would try to be like the other, or they would change or drift apart. It's how the world works.

I supposed it must have been similar to mine and Allie's friendship. She was chubby and loud and has small features and smiled a lot. She loved to talk. She's talk about anything, just to keep conversation going and stay in the spotlight. She adored the limelight, and would go on for hours about the Jonas Brothers, and would talk endlessly of how someday she would get 'her place' on Disney Channel. I didn't mind though. She didn't do it in a mean way, she was just unaware of how she came off as a person, but she was nice and friendly all the same. She had lots of friends. And could lie easily if she wanted to, she was bad at keeping secrets because of her need for attention. She was like most girls. She knew she was pretty, but felt like she wasn't pretty enough. She was terrible at acting.

I, on the other hand, was either too skinny or too fat, and if I had it my way I'd go weeks without speaking. Besides, when there's nothing worth saying, and when words have been diluted so much that even when they hold all the meaning in the world to once person, it might be an empty word, just sounds, to the person who hears them. I had no plans for my future, because it didn't matter. I could keep secrets, even never tell things that normal people say, because again, I didn't need the attention nor did I have to need to open my mouth and speak. Written words were easier to express with. Lying wasn't one of my strong suits, even in the orphanage they taught me not to lie. But I could act.

_'Then again, both of the women are happy and laughing and talking. They're not that different.'_

That's right. I'm more different than anyone. I have no right to try to relate myself with a whole other person in my mind. After all, no matter how much people try to resist the reality of the thought, every single person is alone.

Another man was in the group of parents. I recognised him as Allie's dad. I had met, and talked with him a few times before. I remembered that he made good food, and that his name was Matt and his accent sounded a bit like mine, but besides that I didn't know much about him.

_'I wonder if he shaves that hair by his forehead to make it bigger, or if it happened naturally and if he panicked when that hair started falling out and didn't grow back..?'_

The top of his head shone in the sun like a reflector beam.

_'I wonder if he waxes it.. or puts glow-in-the-dark cream on it...'_

"Chloe, hey!" A voice said. Loudly. With a southern twang.

Toni must have noticed me. I hope she didn't notice that I was still gaping at her husband's growing bald spot with fascination.

I looked away from the guys head.

_'Oh wow. That doesn't make their psychology look questionable at all. I sure do feel super duper safe right now...'_ That familiar voice in my head said with the cheesiness and levelness of a voice from some bad radio program.

The whole group of four adults were looking at me with huge grins, eyes wide.

_'They look like clown dolls.' _I noted.

"You made it!" A voice chirped

Wait what? That voice was too young for any of the grown-ups. It didn't match. Their lips didn't move.

_'Allie said that, Idiot.'_

She rounded a corner, a cheesy smile on her face.

_'Why is everyone fucking smiling? Are they going to ask me if I've 'Found Jesus' yet? They look like damn bible salesmen.'_

_'Go away, I'm busy' _ I said back, ignoring the way the voice put down the people.

"Hey, Chloe, is your mom here too? I didn't see her come in."

"She's over the-" I began to say

"Oh I see her now! Matt, honey, One sec, I'm going to go say 'Hi' to Lauren!"

Allie stayed in her place, beside me, grinning manically.

_'Aww. Wouldn't that make a great photo?'_

"Come on, Josh is over here" She said breathlessly, and ran awkwardly, her footsteps stomping on the ground like hippo feet, to her backyard.

_'Because that was exactly what i wanted to do. Great going Allie, honey.'_ The voice said with a sarcastic cheery voice.

'_You're not normally this vocal. Couldn't you just stay quiet for the rest of this thing, at least until we go?'_

_'You're telling yourself to shut up. I am you. Do you really think i'll do what you're asking, really?' _If she had eyebrows, they would have been raised.

I sighed in response.

I followed Allie, not bothering to mimic the troll-like way that she ran.

I rounded the corner, noticing a new pile of wood there.

I looked up. Everything was new. Her backyard looked so different from the usual.

The old house that was in the backyard was clean on the outside. the four cement steps were swept and cleaned. On the steps sat a huge basket of tomatoes.

_'No- wait... those aren't tomatoes..'_

Weren't those fruits called 'Persimmon fruit?'

That was it. I had remembered. Its officially a part of my vocabulary.

Their lawn was mowed perfectly as usual, even though their backyard wasn't that big.

Towards the back, behind their trampoline, and past the small slope of a hill they had tables shoved together to form one long rectangle. A plastic table cloth covered them, making them seem more 'put-together' with chips and pretzels and other snacks, with bottles of soda and jugs of flavoured fruit drinks like Kool Aid. Baskets filled with shiny plastic ribbons and straw with fake flowers were littered around the place. A 'Kids-Table' was set up with stickers and plastic eggs.

Other eggs were already dyed, most of them ruddy a purplish brown, or sickly sweet looking bright pinks, and a few dull blues . Allie probably had friends over earlier that day.

My eyes took a quick sweep of how many audience members would see my performance, my display of being the perfectly happy and normal girl.

Allie was on her trampoline jumping up and down, up and down, up and down with her hands bunched up at her sides and a concentrated grimace, what i assumed to be her trying to keep smiling while pursing her lips and sticking her jaw and backside out. In other words she looked exactly like she was taking a shit midair.

Josh was over by the snack table inhaling mass amounts of chips and digging his fists into bowls of candy like he had never tried sugar before.

_'Oh! My! Allie's taste in men is so refined, is it not? Such a man..!'_ The voice said, feigning a swoon, and burst into loud giggles inside my head.

I bit my lip. The voice never shut up and always talked in the worst times.

_'Isn't he dreamy?'_ She whispered excitedly, pretending to be impressed.

Allie and Josh were the picture of 'normal' kids.

The other guests would arrive soon. I better go find somewhere nice to hide, but not obviously, I had to look normal. Somewhere quiet and out of the way, but still close to the center to gather my strength for the charade I would put on.

_'The swing..?' _I thought to myself.

"Hey! Chloe! Come over here and jump with me!" Allie bellowed.

_'Well. Isn't she as graceful as ever?' _The voice sneered.

I murmured some consent, not really caring. Besides, as soon as everyone else got here she'd try to impress them and leave me alone and I could be at peace. Or, be in as much peace as I could be...

I walked to her, forcing my eyes to her hair. Looking people in the eyes meant too much, and was too direct. Not my style.

I skipped down the sloping lawn, and continued the awkward skip until I reached the trampoline.

_'She didn't even blink...skipping is normal to her...'_ I thought feeling mildly horrified.

I kicked off my sandals, feeling satisfied when I saw one fly halfway across the yard.

A cold seemed to settle in the air around me, as though there was some shift. Like a note played too high for the human ear to hear, but a part of you knows you heard something.

"Okay...now what?" I asked, looking up at Allie's neat blonde hair.

"You get on. And jump?" She said with a smile, her eyebrows kind of furrowed.

What did that expression mean?

What was the point in just jumping? What did I accomplish by just doing that? Was there no rule, or no reward or punishment in this game? If so, then what merit did I get from indulging in such a boring and time consuming task?

Allie huffed in impatience.

I shrugged, and placed my hands tentatively onto the metal pole surrounding to trampoline. What was bothering her no-

_'What... the fuck is that?!' _This time, it was my own voice wailing inside my head.

A chill crept up my spine, slowly snaking its way up every vertebrae sending tingles shooting into my back and sweeping down my legs. Like a cold shadow wrapping around me. The tickling went into my arms, the sensation of it flooding out of my hands.

_'Aw, shit. We're touching metal.'_ The voice in my head, not belonging to me, quipped.

I looked at the trampoline for a fraction of a second, hoping whatever reaction it had, I wouldn't be obvious about it. I was met with a shock. The muscles in my arms had a series of harsh spasms. I didn't blink.

"Haha! Chloe, your hair's standing straight up!" Allie said in a disgustingly preppy and fake sounding laugh.

_'Hmm. I wonder why, Allie.' _ I answered mentally, my voice dull and sarcastic.

"Oh. That's weird.." I hummed calmly.

_'Okay. I get chills sometimes when people look at me. Not this strong, and usually more slimy and gross feeling. But that has to mean someone was just looking at me._' I thought, biting the inside of my cheek.

_'You figure that out all by yourself? Waaaaooow. Amazin-'_

I cut the voice off.

_'That's enough. I understood the meaning of your words. You would have preferred if I had pieced that information together sooner.' _

She, the voice, didn't say anything back. The lack of an attack, and the slight feeling of calmness with her let me know I was right.

I brought myself out of my internal conversations and resisted the urge to swing around and scour the yard like someone who belongs in an Insane-Asylum to find out who it was that had been looking at me.

I pulled myself up onto the trampoline with the muscles in my arms, trying not to let my face show what most people call 'happiness' as they jerked harshly, once again sending shocks of pain into my shoulders.

Crawling over towards the center of the trampoline I dragged my fingertips, feeling the static cause my hair to raise up again as though I were underwater, weightless, without gravity.

Who was answer was to my new mystery? I couldn't move on to find another mystery until I solved this one. It just wasn't done. I had to know. I had to.

Giving into temptation I turned to see who had been staring at me.

And froze.

My eyes has met with a pair of dark ones.

_'I don't make eye contact with people. This is new. '_

I blinked.

The other pair of eyes blinked moments later.

Flecks of amber were blended in gracefully with a deep rich chocolate, the colors almost swirling together. The shade of brown was dark enough to seem like black from far away. Almost violet, or green. Iridescent was a similar word to the way they could be described.

I couldn't speak.

_'What color is that...is this the feeling of being awed? The color..It's so pretty...'_ I asked the girl in my head, my inner voice quiet and hardly audible, like a whisper.

_'The term Effervescent Shitstain comes to mind.' _She answered without a moment's pause.

_'I'm ignoring you.'_ I informed her helpfully.

I could feel myself narrowing in on those eyes. All of my focus, shifting and being pulled there, as though a magnet was keeping my eyes glued the this persons eyes, each of us occasionally blinking.

The eyes. They shone so brightly.

Thick lashes rimmed the eyes, reminding me of feathers. I counted each individual one.

My eyes caught on to something else shining.

Locks of hair, a warm golden tawny brown fell gracefully down to the persons upper chest. Stray strands of hair fell into and over their face while another portion was tucked behind a large and rounded ear. The hair color was so warm, it reminded me of caramel, the closer up towards the persons head the darker the hair color had melted into, with a cooler and glossier shine, but still held its vibrancy.

My eyes traveled lower quickly to see a sharply pointed nose. The tip didn't quite hook, nor was it upturned. It was straight, narrower at the bridge and rounding off towards the point. It was large but not overly so.

Tan skin almost seemed to radiate a warm glow. A narrow facial shape, offset by a ruddy tint in the persons cheek from the cold.

_'Does that person charge themselves with batteries to make their face light up light that?_' I wondered to myself.

_'WHAT KIND OF FUCKED UP QUESTION IS THAT?! JESUS! YOUR MIND IS WEIRD. YOU KNOW THAT? I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU JUS-' _ A familiar voice roared inside my head, answering me.

I wasn't paying attention.

I smiled slightly. Something about this person that made me feel like pulling on the muscles that make my lips pull upwards. It wasn't the real definition of 'smiling', but it was the only thing I could do. Real smiling was when the persons mouth lifted up, hurting their cheeks, and they couldn't stop because the action was involuntary. I wondered how people how smile naturally without forcing themselves to, after all, they were the ones in control of their own bodies.

_'HEY. HEY. HEY. ARE YOU LISTENING?!'_

I didn't even bother to reply.

"I said are you listening?"

My mind was somewhere else. Those voices didn't matter. They were just sounds. They weren't captivating. Nothing ever made me react like this.

This was pure.

Unfiltered.

Visual.

Poetry.

_'HELLO! EARTH TO DUMBFUCK!'_

My eyes stared at the persons mouth. Neither small, nor large. They didn't naturally pull downward and up towards the tip like mine did. All gentle curves. Slightly thinner lips than mine, but still thicker and darker than normal lips. A healthy shade of pink, slightly chapped. The end of the lips were slightly agape, but slowly quirked upwards into a slight smirk. A soft cloud came out of the persons smiling mouth as they exhaled.

"Um.. Chloe?"

_'CHLOE.'_

"Chloe?"

"What? No. Not r-really." I blurted out, quickly looking back to Allie as I noticed she has been speaking to me.

_'Smooth. Real smooth.'_

"Hello." I said, looking at her, my voice sounding more robotic than I would prefer.

She looked at me for a moment.

"Jumping? On the trampoline? You and I? Ring any bells?" She said, her voice sounding mildly passive aggressive.

I feigned stupidity.

She sighed, and started bouncing, her limbs jiggling as she did so.

I stood up, jumping with her feeling my muscles shudder and thighs wobble.

'What an awkward game' I remarked inside my own mind, as a feeble attempt at mimicking conversation.

_'I can think of something more awkward.'_

I jumped again, my knees aching in protest and feeling the weight of Allie propelling me higher as I was much lighter than she was. Tedious, childishness. Playing silly and pointless games with a silly girl. Why did I do this? Why do I pretend? Disgusting. I am an odourless flower, mimicking the petals of a rose, and ever changing to seem like a common daisy. I can be anything you want. But if you wish to come closer, and try to find out what flower i really am, who I am, you will not find anything.

I forced a laugh to bubble up, shaking my shoulders and torso in time with each high pitched squawking sounds. A perfect act. Flawless. I am unique, without personality, without theoretical fragrance. I am no blossoming orchid, my petals cannot strive in the sunlight or they will be burned. I am a child without a childhood. I know too much, while being void of any knowledge. I am a riddle without an answer, but a riddle none the less. Because I am nobody at all.

A gust of cold, chilling wind swept through me. Allie huddled her arms together, and bellowed for her father to bring her a jacket.

My ears throbbed from the volume of her voice.

I ducked my chin down, looking with the corner of my eye to the person sitting on the swing. I was in time to see them tuck themselves into a ball, hair cascading into their face as this child brought the collar of their jean jacket up. The eyes, like sparkling darkest amber, were now looking downwards, eyelashes fluttering as they slowly shut.

I will not leave behind anything, not a trace of sweetness when I wilt.

Yet, in that moment, my entire soul was captivated instantaneously. Utterly spellbound.

I noticed that the person was still smiling, their dark eyes cast downwards. It wasn't a happy smile.

It was something else. I didnt know the word.

I blinked, hearing the sounds of harps plucking in the distance, chimes and twinkling bells sounding. And then an orchestra played. The same song I had heard months ago. But this time it was more complex and gentle. The same melody.

This face, the expressions that changed by the second, always shifting. Only slight differences, that would make this face seem close to expressionless. To me, for the first time, i could read this face.

An odd mix of kindness, achingly numb pain, passiveness, isolation, warmth, and hope were painted across every feature. From the dark arching eyebrows to the other child's posture.

Their eyes were almost void, mirrors. Like mine. But unlike mine, they held inside of them a heart wrenching sweetness.

Everything about this face was beautiful.

The crescendo rose up, lifting my heart with it and i jumped more, ignoring Allie's impatient whining for a sweater.

Bright but gently striking feminine eyes, a strong masculine nose, the grace of a dancer with every fluid movement, long and delicate hands, tinted cheeks and full sculpted lips with a perfect cupids bow, a slender figure, all tied together with a bittersweet whimsical smirk.

_'You're missing something, Chlo-chlo.'_ The voice said cheerfully.

Wait.

The music halted jarringly as though i had just smacked the conductor.

Shit.

Half of the features were gently masculine, the other half strongly feminine.

I blinked.

Was this person male or female...

Faded jeans, blue-gray t shit, sneakers, a jean jacket. A hair tie around the persons slender wrist.

_'Oh.'_

Even...the clothes...were gender neutral.

_'Fuck.'_

The person looked up, meeting my gaze for a fraction of a second.

I gulped feeling my heart thud in my chest.

I swerved harshly to the right, my face vacant of any emotion and I fumbled dumbly with my footing.

The voice inside my head broke down into unstoppable laughter.

_'Y-'_ she paused, as though she were human and had to take a breath in between her peals of laughter. _'You bitch-swerved!'_

Unnerved. I was unnerved. Nervous. I fidgeted, feeling strangely worried.

I came to a realisation.

This had to be fear. No other emotion could possibly be what it was that I'm feeling.

_'Well. Say something to the genderless angel of doom that turns you into even more of a neurotic psychopath._' The voice urged, a bubbly and sarcastic tone resonating in my head.

_'And say what? 'Oh! Hey! Couldn't help but notice you terrify me and make it hard to breathe! Are you Satan? WOW! Really? I wouldn't have guessed it. The mortal coil does nothing to tarnish your devilishly androgynous looks.' Yeah. that'll work.'_

She was silent for a long while as I continued jumping mindlessly.

_'...Were you just sarcastic? Did you learn that from me or-'_

_'Beats me.'_

We were both quiet, each of us noticing how darkly ironic that response was.

A flock of birds flew overhead flying somewhere far, far away for the winter so they could keep warm. Flying somewhere safe.

I closed my eyes and let my head fall forward slightly, wishing I were a bird. Maybe life could be simpler.

I raised my arms, letting them become my wings. If they were real wings I'd fly away and never look back. I'd fly away from the numbness and this new fear that had now begun to take root inside of me. I'd fly away from all the anguish, the dreams, the memories. I'd fly as hard and fast as i could and not feel the slightest hint of emotion or guilt or other unnecessary complications that led people's lives astray.

'You're standing on a trampoline like a stage as though you were hanging on a cross at a Christian Easter-Party. Magnificent.'

I sat down quickly, my arms flattening against my sides.

I looked around, only to notice that Allie had gone inside for that jacket she was demanding.

I glanced towards the object of my terror. Still looking stunned.

Why was this person smirking? I will never know.

We met eyes again. The..human.. I knew that for sure, swung back and forth, legs lazily propelling the motion of the swing. Calm.

The word that immediately popped into my head to describe this person, was LANGUID.

I enjoyed the way it was spelled. It had straight letters, like the L or A that were made up of lines; It also had a swooping curve of the G and U. I like to search for it in every dictionary I find because they almost always have a different description of the word. They all agreed on one thing though. It had U and I next to each other that made a funny noise like in Language and Liquid, but LANGUAGE was pronounced Lan-Guidge, so it doesn't make sense as to why it was spelled as it is. Maybe whoever invented the word was sleepy. Or maybe because LANGUAGE didn't exist yet, the creator wasn't sure of how it should have been spelled.

The word LANGUID seemed to describe this person perfectly. Lauren uses the phrase 'To A Tea' but there never is any tea, or warm drink that can be given to. Maybe she doesn't know what TEA means and misunderstood.

I've formed my own meaning of languid. To do something slowly, without the expense of much energy, or the expression of thought and emotion, without enthusiasm, or interest, calm and peaceful; the word LANGUID meant all of this at the same time.

The word languid could be applied to me, but this person managed to be that word much better than myself, and be far more graceful while doing so.

Perhaps I felt like this person was trying to take my place.

_'Yeaaaah, riiiighhhht. We both know you don't feel that. You feel something HELLA DIFFERENT, Sweetness'_

_'I don't feel anything.'_

_'Exactly. You feel nothing.'_ She countered.

I sighed. She liked conflict too much. Totally unnecessary.

_'Hey, wait. No. You enjoy fighting, whether you know it yet or not.'_

My shoulders slumped.

_'I'm not listening.'_ I replied back.

_'Sure you're not. '_

We were both silent. Mentally prodding each other.

_'It's a he.'_

_'No, it's a she. I would know.'_

_'Know what? You're a voice. In. My. Head. An imaginary friend. I'm the human female.'_

_'Says the person talking with their imaginary playmate, calling the playmate a she...while calling another live human an It. Well done Chloe! Besides, you're lesbian, which makes me the girl.'_

_'I know what you'll say before you actually manifest the words in my head. Why do you bother with arguments and sarcasm when I know you're genuinely curious as to that persons gender?...What does that word mean? Lesbi-'_

_'Oh never mind. How about you shove your questions up you a- '_

"Chlooeeee! Deeeeeeeee come over here"

_'...Please, No...'_ We thought in unison, ending the debate, and leaving my curiosity of the of the word LESBIAN unquenched.

I looked away from dark eyes, to stare at the scowling small mouth of a younger girl.

The other person's head had also snapped to look at the girl, but they were looking directly to her, unlike me.

Allie was back. And was going to demand my pretence of normality and girlish attention.

She was also demanding the attention of the other person.

Apparently the person I was gawking at like a sheep with elephants eyeballs glued to its face, was named Dee.

_'A...Gender...Neutral...Name...'_

_'For fucks sake, what was her mom thinking...'_

_'His. mom.' _ I corrected. The voice must have misunderstood.

_'Keep telling yourself that.'_

The voice more vocal than usual. A new emotion which i have come to believe to be fear-

_'ITS A LIFETIMES DOSE OF ATTRACTION, FOLKS.'_

_'Stop talking. Its rude to interrupt. Lauren is teaching us The-Common-Courtesy now. Also, attraction only happens with chemicals and magnets and-'_

_'MY CASE HAS BEEN STATED, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.' _she hollered.

_'Who are you talking to?'_

_'Someday you'll write a memoir. And this conversation will be so damn perfect in it...' _

I got the direct impression that if she had a body she would have mockingly wiped by her eye and muttered something about how beautiful it all was.

_'A DAM is something beavers or humans build in rivers to stop the flow fr-'_

_'You're gay, is what it proves. Alright?' _She interrupted. Again.

_'GAY is an Old English term, the definition is similar to JOYOUS or HAP-'_

_'When you remember this conversation, and know your gayness to be true, and write about it I will feel so vindicated.'_

_'VINDICATED means to be proven correct under-'_

_'OH GOD DAMMIT. HOLY FUCK. JUST SHUT UP!...CHRIST.'_

_'That is not my name. You can call me that though, I find it acceptable. On an unrelated topic, is it even possible for that to be holy..?'_

_'You'll find out when you're older, Princess Christ. Just talk and think like a normal kid your age, alright?' She announced, her voice loud enough to echo around my head._

_'Why are you doing that? You're my imaginary voice talking to more imaginary voices. That is just weird.'_

_'They're our readers, and that impression of normality sucked.'_

_'I don't write.' _I pointed out.

_'Not now you don't. But you will.'_

I let go. There was no convincing her. Especially not when she was imagining me wearing a crown of thorns and headbutting people.

What a strange notion. Writing? Me? As if.

Dee stood up, hair swaying and a few stray strands dancing in the breeze as the jean-on-jeans made their signature sound caused by the rough materials friction. A nice sound.

I felt as though my feet had grown roots and had dug into the ground and firmly and stubbornly held their place in the dirt.

Unable to move.

Was my fear so intense that I was paralyzed? Was I really that weak? Was I truly so irrational?

Of course I was.

_'Shut up and go follow the smirky-licious he-she, Negative Magnet.' _ She said in a sing-song voice.

This was going to be a long party.

* * *

**AN:**

**Hi again! (Pfft. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII)**

**So what did you think? (Did you like your cookie? I made it myself.)**

**Care to comment? Review? I read all of em. I'll even reply to some of them either through a PM or here in the AN's.**

**CONTEST!**

**I'll add an idea or conversation or even a parody chapter in here if you send me the summary in detail,...IF...you can guess my favorite Animated Disney movie as a young child. Yes, Disney. And i do mean a movie that is all animation. And no, this isn't a trick, there aren't any anime movies on the list. There would be. But I'll just stick to Disney for this contest. There shall be more though.**

**Special note: I have three favorite Disney movies. And a fourth that is also an animated movie, but not Disney. I also have two runners-up.**

**RULES:**

**Each main movie counts as one point. Each runner's up is half a point. Five points in total.**

**And yes, They're pretty easy to guess and almost all of you could be -bi-winners. **No cheating**. If you know me directly, and already know the answers then your participation would be invalid. If you do know me closely, but DON'T know the answers, however, you may still guess and be a part of the contest just like everyone else.**

**PRIZES:**

_**1/2 POINT: I will add a conversation, or a few short words, and might bend the idea to go along with the story (as little as humanly possible), but will put your idea in whether i like it or not. With some adjustments if its too...just too strange.**_

_**ONE WHOLE POINT: If you guess one of the main four movies correctly, or both runners-up: I will add your idea to the story as long as its not too out there, whether i like the idea or not, and it will have more details than the half-point prize.**_

_**TWO POINTS: I'll add your idea, give you a shoutout, and if its 'too strange' i'll do everything i can to keep the idea similar while finding a happy medium between what you want and what i'm okay with writing about. (AKA Smut shall be turned into comedy or mocking that kind of thing. Hello)**_

_**THREE POINTS: I'll add your idea to the story, give you a shoutout, and if its 'too strange' i'll just post a parody chapter for you of it that will be anywhere from 1000-2000 words. If i like the idea, then I'll PM you asking you to elaborate on the idea if you can so that i can do the best i possibly can to let your ideas happen the way you want them to. **_

_**FOUR POINTS: The same as if you were to win the 3-Points besides one key factor.. You get more details. The chapter it would be from 2000-4000 words. And i'll send you a small sneak peek of the next chapters. Aaand i might PM you sometimes, just to talk or fangirl, or whatever**_

_**FIVE POINTS: You, if you get this, have just earned yourself your very own oneshot. No lemons. Ever. Just no. But, pretty much most of anything else will be put in. And i'll make it as long as i can. I might take it up to 5 chapters if i like the idea. Plus a sneak peek, shoutout of course, and if you have any written finfics i'll read 'em. And yes, i'll PM you too ^_^**_

**And as always, even without the contest and you ask me something or give me an idea and i like it, i'll PM you. **

**Hey! You! Human reading this! Any criticism? Thoughts? Share below!**

**Are you demanding moar fluff? More drama? Mystery? Horror? **

**Cant wait to find out!**

**See you all next time in the next episod- i mean.. Chapter... Of Whispered Secrets!**


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